What is the hospital follow-up protocol for patients after measles care?

From the Guidelines

After being treated for measles in the hospital, follow-up care typically involves a visit with your primary care provider within 1-2 weeks after discharge, and specialist clinics should be considered in patients requiring hospital follow up, as recommended by the British Thoracic Society guideline for bronchiectasis in adults 1. When considering hospital follow-up for measles care, it's essential to prioritize the patient's recovery and potential complications. Measles can lead to complications such as pneumonia, ear infections, or encephalitis, so monitoring is crucial.

• The patient should maintain good hydration, rest, and proper nutrition during recovery.
• It's also important to remain isolated until the doctor confirms the patient is no longer contagious, typically 4 days after the rash appears.
• If the patient develops new symptoms like severe headache, shortness of breath, or persistent high fever during recovery, they should seek immediate medical attention as these could indicate complications. In terms of infection prevention and control, healthcare personnel should perform hand hygiene by using an alcohol-based hand rub or hand-washing with soap and water before and after patient contact or contact with the patient’s immediate environment, as recommended by the Pediatrics journal 1.
• Standard precautions should be used in every interaction with a patient.
• Patients with potentially contagious diseases and immunocompromised children should be promptly triaged, and contact between contagious children and uninfected children should be minimized. The study on famine-affected, refugee, and displaced populations 1 provides recommendations for public health issues, including the administration of standard treatment for children with measles complications, such as ORT for diarrhea and antibiotics for acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI). However, this study is outdated, and more recent guidelines should be prioritized.
• The British Thoracic Society guideline for bronchiectasis in adults 1 is a more recent and relevant study, recommending specialist clinics for patients requiring hospital follow-up. Overall, the key to effective hospital follow-up for measles care is to prioritize the patient's recovery, monitor for potential complications, and follow standard precautions for infection prevention and control.

From the Research

Hospital Follow-up for Measles Care

• Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease that requires proper hospital follow-up care to prevent complications and reduce mortality rates 2, 3, 4.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends administration of an oral dose of 200,000 IU (or 100,000 IU in infants) of vitamin A per day for two days to children with measles in areas where vitamin A deficiency may be present 2.
• Hospitalization and follow-up care are crucial for patients with severe measles, especially those with respiratory complications such as pneumonia 3, 5.
• Supportive care, including correction of dehydration and nutritional deficiencies, treatment of secondary bacterial infections, and provision of vitamin A, is essential for managing measles patients 3, 4.
• In severe cases of measles pneumonitis, treatment with intravenous ribavirin and high-dose vitamin A may be effective in reversing respiratory compromise 5.
• Neurological complications, such as encephalitis, can occur during or after the acute disease, and healthcare workers should be aware of the symptoms to suspect measles-induced encephalitis 6.
• Patient management mainly involves supportive therapy, and disease control largely depends on prevention through vaccination 4.